My Life Now
by emotionalorange
Summary: Joanna has been through hell. All alone, starving, and close to death, she is close to giving up. However, she is saved by two men who have a camp at a prison. In spite of the situation, Joanna finds herself falling for a someone at the camp. Will Joanna find a sliver of elation after the atrocious experiences she has been through? Or will her past keep her from happiness?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first chapter of my first Walking Dead story... This takes place when Rick's group is still located at the prison.**

 **Enjoy! & Thanks for reading!**

 **Criticism is welcome :)**

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I've been on the road for weeks, maybe months. I've stopped keeping track of time, I've stopped tracking the days. Why would I?

I've been roaming through endless woods. Scared, alone, cold, hungry. I've killed dozens of walkers. Maybe 40, maybe more. I've stopped keeping track. Why would I?

I'm starting to lose hope. What kind of a life is sleeping under tree, while constantly endangered, and so hungry your stomach feels like it's eating itself?

This is my life now, and there isn't much I can do about it. All I can do is survive and keep moving. What kind of life is that?

My legs and eyes are heavy, as I trudge through a river. I can tell I've lost a noticeable amount of weight, and I can feel that my hair is thinning. My exposed skin is blistering from a very bad sunburn. A camp with food, water, and shelter is essential for me.

My breathing starts to become heavy and I feel myself getting exhausted from the physical exertion of walking. I found the nearest tree stump to rest, and it was a good place due to an abundance of foliage and trees around me. I was concealed and hidden. I placed my semi-automatic pistol in the grass beside me, along with a bag filled with other supplies, such as a flashlight, batteries, tampons, a few knifes, a very empty canteen, and a shitload of medications. Before the outbreak, I had just graduated from the Medical College of Georgia and started my new job as a pharmacist at the local hospital. Let's just say the hospital had a significantly less supply of medicine when I left it.

I place my hand over my forehead and I feel it pound. I feel like hell, I look like hell, I'm living in hell. My life was so beautiful before this. Whoever first said, "you never know what you have until it's gone," is extremely accurate and a fucking douchebag for that.

When I reached into my bag to grab some tylenol, I heard a rustle in the woods in front of me. I grabbed a knife out of my bag and prepared to kill a walker. I saw movement in the leafage in front of me. I braced myself, as I was still not exactly used to the walkers. I was a wimp in my other life. I couldn't even kill a spider. I gripped my knife as the noise I have been hearing turned into a being that stepped through the foliage.

A lump caught in the back of my throat when I realized the noise was not from a walker at all. Two people were before me. Actual living, breathing people. My eyes starting brimming with tears from relief and happiness. The two people were men, with weapons aimed right towards me. On instinct I placed my hands over my head, still gripping my knife.

The man who I saw first was also the first one to talk. "Who are you? Are you with any one else?" His voice was deep and rumbly, which matched his appearance. He had dark, long hair, with bangs shaping his face. He was wearing dark jeans with a cutoff tank top under which looked like a leather vest. He looked mean, and the crossbow he had pointed at me was extremely intimidating.

I kept my voice strong and didn't let it wavier. "Joanna Hale. I'm alone. I have been for about a month now."

The other man behind the archer spoke up. He was obviously Asian, probably Korean. He had thick black hair that was arranged in a way that almost looked stylish. "You've been on the road, by yourself, for a month? Holy shit."

I nodded in his direction. The archer asked me another question. "Do you have any weapons?"

I hesitant at first to answer, but I was still hoping that they would take me to their camp if they had one. I was desperate, and as much as I didn't want to, I had to trust them.

"Yes," I replied. I have a pistol in this bag," I gestured to the sack on the ground, "and I have a few knives in there as well. But that's all."

"Have you killed any walkers?" He asked.

"Yes," I nodded.

"How many?"

I looked up and thought for several moments, trying to give the archer a good estimate. "50. Probably more."

"Have you killed any humans?"

His question caught me off guard, and my voice was caught in the back of my throat. I swallowed hard and tried not to cry, remembering the only person I have ever killed. It haunts me everyday. But I keep telling myself, _you had to. He asked you to, and you loved him. You loved him so much. You would have done anything for him._

I nodded. "Yes, I have."

"Why?"

I took a few seconds to think of a good answer to this hard question, "He was going to turn. He asked me to."

The archer nodded like that answer was sufficient. "When was the last time you ate?" He grumbled.

I tried to think, and I couldn't come with an accurate answer. "I don't remember."

The Korean man looked at me, "Do you have a camp anywhere?"

Horrible memories filled my head and I tried to force them out, "No, not anymore. We had a camp at the church I went to as a kid. It was going too well for too long. It was overrun. I'm the only one who made it out."

He nodded, and looked at the archer, "Should we bring her back with us?"

My eyes widened, realizing these two men do have a camp.

The archer nodded, his eyes never left me. He was seriously scary. He turned his back without saying a word and walked through the leaves.

Relief flooded my stomach, and I thanked God for bringing me these two men. Smile was plastered to my face and It would not be erased. I thought about food and water while following these two men. I made sure not to say too much, as I didn't want to seem annoying. This could be my chance for safety and shelter.

The Korean man looked at me, "I'm Glenn, and that's Daryl." His face was expressionless. I made the assumption that Glenn was a very outgoing and happy guy the other life, but has become sad and angry with the world. I tried to guess what his occupation was before the outbreak, maybe he just got out of college like me. I did this a lot when I meet strangers, it keeps things interesting.

I nodded back at Glenn. "Nice to meet you both."

We walked in silence for awhile, and eventually realized that we were walking in the direction of a road. Daryl and Glenn must have a car nearby. I had so many questions running through my head, _Where's their camp? How many people does it consist of? Is there actually a camp?_

Daryl interrupting my thoughts, "Do you have any questions for us?"

I bit my tongue and still refused to ask anything, "No, I don't. Frankly, I don't give a fuck about where the camp is, what the camp is, or anything like that. Trusting you is my last resort, I wouldn't have lasted much longer out here by myself."

Daryl nodded, "Fair enough."

We finally made it to the car, it was an old, Dodge truck, probably from 2000. I tried to hide how out of breath I was. I was so exhausted, and thirsty, and hungry. I felt so weak.

Daryl insisted I sat in the bed of the truck, which I thought was hysterical. I probably weighed 120 pounds soaking wet. Yep, I'm a huge threat. But still, I complied. The cold wind felt great on my skin, anyways. I closed my eyes and smiled. After all of the shit I have been through, I finally had some hope. My conscious was telling me I could trust these men, but I was still slightly nervous about what's going to happen next after arriving to their camp. With my skills and my past professions, I'm a hot commodity for these situations, right? I'll make sure to tell them that I'm knowledgeable about medicine and anatomy and sickness. And I have that shitload of medicine in my bag. Everything will be okay.

I opened my eyes again when I realized the car slowing down. I looked around at my surroundings and I spotted a very large prison, encompassed by a metal fence and dozens of walkers. The car rocked slightly because of the gravel road leading up to the prison, while a young boy with a too large of a sheriff's hat on pulled back a large fence to allow us into the main yard. I noticed several people along the fence and on top of watch towers with large weapons. I began to become weary, and my stomach started filling with butterflies. I took a deep breath and stumbled out of the bed once the truck came to a stop.

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 **Closed to death, Joanna is saved by two of my favorite characters! Hopefully Rick agrees to keep her around...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is! chapter 2... Thank you all for reading!**

 **Enjoy!**

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All eyes were on me. I managed to look straight ahead, feeling extremely insecure. I kept following Glenn as he glanced back at me and gave me a slight smile, which made me feel a little better.

"We are going to take you to Rick," Glenn stated, "But first I think it would be best if we got you some food and water."

I swallowed back tears of happiness, as food and water are all I've been thinking about. I nodded to Glenn, "Thank you." I was afraid I was coming off weak, which was fatal because I could tell the individuals at this camp were fighters.

I accompanied Glenn and Daryl to an area which was what I believe called "cell block C". I glanced at my surroundings. I haven't been inside a protected building, under a roof, and within four walls in a long time. Glenn sat me down at a round, metal, lunch table and got me a cup of water and a plate of canned beans. My eyes widened hungrily, but I ate slowly, savoring each bite.

"Thank you, Glenn." I looked at him and smiled, and I realized it was the first time I've smiled at someone in a long time. The smile he returned to me filled my stomach with warmth. Was I actually feeling happy?

Both Daryl and Glenn went into a different area of the prison, which was located behind metal bars. The young boy with the oversized sheriff's holding an infant locked the doors, leaving me alone in the room. He stared at me intently. I tilted my head, confused. Why are these people so precarious? They must have been through some rocky shit with people. I shrugged to myself and continued eating.

Staring down to my plate, I realized I wanted more. I heard a clanging noise to my right, and realized that the metal bars were opening. I turned my attention towards that direction and noticed a stern-looking man pacing towards me, presumably Rick. He looked tired and exhausted, with perspiration visible on his forehead and noticeable cuts in several location on his face. He was probably 40, and very handsome. His head was encompassed by brown curls, streaked with gray. His jawline was bordered with facial hair. He looked sternly at me. I stood up clumsily to face him. I noticed Daryl and Glenn accompanied Rick, along with an African American women with long locs and a samurai sword positioned behind her back. She was staring at me, with her arms crossed over her chest. I swallowed hard.

"Daryl tells me you have been on the road for a month now. All alone. Is that right?" Rick says to me in a thick southern accent.

I nodded before speaking. "Yes, that's right. I had a group a while back ago, and we had a camp at my childhood church." Rick said nothing, indicating to me to continue. "There were too many walkers and too few of us. There was only seven of us total: my father, mother, two sisters, brother, my fiancee, and me." Memories flooded my head. Recollections of my fifteen year old brother getting feasted upon, and having to shoot my mother in the head because she turned flashed through my mind. I looked to the ground, choking down tears. "They are all dead. All of them, gone. They all turned but one, and he begged me to kill him before he turned." I looked back up at Rick, and stared him right in the eye. "I'm the only one who made it out."

My audience was silent for several moments. Finally, Rick spoke, "We are trying to build up our community here. We'd like to offer you a spot. But the thing is, we all have to pull our weight. We'll give you a few days to get back on your feet, but we expect you to contribute. You sound strong, you'll make it alright here."

Relief washed through me, and I couldn't help feel a wide smile spread across my face. "Thank you. I'm Joanna by the way."

"Rick." he replied, "and I have to ask, what do you got in that bag of yours?"

"Uhh," I stammered, while I searched through the bag, pulling out the contents one by one," I have a gun, a few knifes, and a lot of medicine." I glanced back up at Rick.

"Medicine?" He asked, he was clearly intrigued.

"Uh, yeah." I responded, "I was actually a pharmacist. I had just graduated from the Medical College of Georgia before the outbreak."

Rick took a few more steps closer to me, and his speech became more excited, "So, you're a doctor?"

I wasn't exactly a physician-type doctor, but I was close enough, "Yes, technically I am a doctor. Well, I have my doctor's degree."

Rick nodded slowly, absorbing this new known information about me. I knew once it became established that I know quite a lot about keeping sick people alive, I would be valuable to these people. Hopefully, they'll see me as an important asset for their stronghold.

"Glenn?" Rick questioned, "Do you mind showing Joanna to the cell on the very end, on the next floor up?"

Glenn nodded to Rick. He waved me on, and I followed his lead. The young boy slide the metal bars open, allowing both us into the area where the cells are located. I noticed a very new faces who were positioned in their respective cells. It will take me a while to become familiar with all of these unfamiliar people.

Glenn and I finally reached me cell, and he gestured me inside, "Home, sweet home." He announced, and flashed me a smile.

I giggled at his comment, "Trust me, this is like the Taj Mahal right now." I returned his smile. We stood maybe two feet apart, and I was just now seeing Glenn up close. He really was handsome, with smooth skin and dark eyes, with thick, black hair to match. And I couldn't help but notice his extremely contagious smile. I could already tell he was just one of those people that are just easy to like.

All the sudden, Glenn turned serious. "Uh," he stammered, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he paused, obviously he was finding it hard to say exactly what he was trying to. "I mean, I heard what you told Rick about your family, and I'm sorry. That really fucking sucks."

I gave Glenn a polite smile and nodded, "You're right, it really fucking sucks. But thank you, for everything. Thank you for finding me when you did."

"Don't mention it." He gave me a comforting look, he was obviously trying to make me feel better. "Just so you know, my cell is literally right next to yours. So please, let me know if you need anything. You could probably whisper to me and I'd hear it. That's how close we'll be."

I laughed out loud at his speech, which was strange because I had forgotten what my laugh sounded like. "Well, it works both ways, okay? If you're feeling ill, or anything like that, let me know."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were 'technically a doctor,'" Glenn said, placing air quotes around the 'technically a doctor' part. "I'll sleep much better knowing that you'll be in the cell next to me."

I laughed again, I began feeling an emotion I haven't felt in a while. "You'll be in good hands."

Glenn smiled at me again, "You should get some sleep."

I showed by agreeance with a nod. I just realized how tired I was. "Thanks again, Glenn."

"Sleep well." Glenn responded.

 _I will sleep well_ , I thought to myself. And I did. I feel asleep with a smile on my face, and thoughts of Glenn's smile swimming through my mind.

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 **Thankfully, Joanna is in a better situation. Hopefully, the situation is a permanent one!**

 **Thanks again for reading!**

 **Criticism is welcome!**


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